I've always thought about this when walking in and out of a JB. Plenty of times I've got some sort of electronics that I've purchased either from JB themselves or elsewhere in my bag but the bag check people wouldn't suspect anything.
Which leads me to thinking why they'd even check everyone's bags, do they have some kind of special power to determine whether someone has stolen something?
Added HN cause some stores have them too but not like JB where every store has one.
I think the bunnings guards check for smuggled onions in your snags.
Bunnings guards check for smuggled onions in your snags.
Don't you mean they check for onions on your snags?
Yeah. I was going to write hotdog, then sausage sandwich, then snag sandwich and then gave up.
Yep it's called 'Security Theatre'. Same with airport security.
The visibility is designed as a deterrent (or to make people feel safe) while in reality they don't do much.
For example, I was in JB Hifi one day (in a grumpy mood) with a heavy backpack on my back. As I walked out the security guard asked me to look in my bag. Being too lazy to take it off I said he was welcome to unzip it and have a look but he said I'd have to do it. I said nope and just walked off. Nothing they could do about it.
Cause imagine being a security guard standing at the entry/exit all day for 8-10 hours. It makes there boring job that little less boring with human interaction.
You also have the option to say no to the bag check request.
These guards are toothless tigers.
The best that they can do is advise that you're not welcome there anymore.
Funny how people get negged for stating the truth. It's not illegal to not show them your bags when asked.
True that mate.
The thing is that they don't have a right to inspect the bags, they can only request an inspection. You can of course deny the request.
Further, to actually claim that an item was shoplifted, the claimant must have seen you pick the item, ensure that you've not been out of their direct vision at all times after picking the item and pass the checkouts without paying for the item.
The bag checking is just a front to scare away possible shoplifters. They can't even question any item that you have in the bag.
Spoken like a true retail employee!
@deveshwar0: Its funny, I almost said Coles employee.
I was former coles and was told the same thing.
I go out of my way to not go into a JB when I have my backpack.
Not having some wannabe with an inflated sense of self-importance invade my privacy.
They don't have a right to inspect the bags, they can only request an inspection. You can of course deny the request.
duplicate
Anyone who know steals a 75" TV by putting it under their shirt.
People just walk out with them.. seriously.
I remember working in Myer back in the day (15 years ago) when this happened a couple of times without anyone noticing. They can be really brazen at times. I remember one woman who was caught with her baby in a pram. She put a DVD player on top of the pram, walked around the store for a while looking at other things. Chatted to staff. Then just left the store with it still on the pram. Lucky for security, having a baby and a pram limited her get away speed when they ran after her.
I just keep walking and pretend I cant hear them. They can't touch you obviously. You just hear "sir, sir" in the background, and then they reset, as they continue about their menial duties.
Kind of like a video game where the character is one dimensional and resets along their story arc once you leave their sphere of awareness.
Agree. Similar with train opal card check the inspectors they can request but we can deny. They won't touch you physically. Only police can. they hired big tall fat guys girls as inspectors to make people afraid and oblige.
Would you really go through all that trouble to deny a opal card check? I really don't understand why people would go through such measures to avoid simple actions, only thing that comes to mind when people don't want anything checked is because they got something to hide.
well this guy stole a chainsaw by sticking it down his pants https://geekologie.com/2019/04/man-steals-chainsaw-from-hard…
This is a pet peeve of mine so bear with me while I rant.
It infuriates me that JB put the checkout in the middle of the store and so then after purchasing I still need to show inside my JB bag the product and receipt I just got from them. Great work punishing paying customers because of terrible store design. Thanks, I love walking into a JB I'm not familiar with, needing to walk through the labyrinth of shitty DVDs in their maze of a store to find the checkout, pay and then have some idiot ask me to check the thing I just bought.
George St Sydney downstairs in that arcade thing is particularly annoying.
If you got nothing to hide, just show them. What's the big deal. Just cause you don't want to, doesn't make it right. You entered the store and agreed on their conditions when you entered.
If you don't like it, who said you have to shop there?
This post is like saying;
- Why shops have cameras? real or fake
- Why shops have special barcode sticker sensors
- Why shops put up a sign if caught stealing, 000 will be called
- Why shops have mystery employees out of uniform
Because customers are a-holes.
Not sure if you've actually read the post but it's not simply about why there are bag checks, but why there are bag checks even if it's not effective. (Eg. Electronics in my bag and they don't give a crap, maybe read the post?)
And none of your examples are remotely similar to what the post is actually talking about.
As you've worked in electronics retail I get that you may want to defend your job, but for the record I'm not actually criticising any job/person/company here.
All the things I've listed are prevention measures and it works. Just because you had electronics in the bag and security bypassed it, doesn't mean they do it with everyone.
These prevention measures are there to mitigate the stolen goods in a store.
Chemist warehouse does it, woolworths does it etc. I've had candy bars and an unopened bottle of coke in my backpack and I showed the woolies rep, she clearly saw them but didn't question it. It could have easily been their stock.
On the other hand, I've seen articles about how someone stolen a few lollipops for their children and the cops were called, and that parent was fined and needed to go to court.
Just depends on the rep if they can actually be bothered questioning it.
do they have some kind of special power to determine whether someone has stolen something?
The presence of some kind of authority (even a staff standing at the doors) can cause the amateur to act differently, like sweat, shake, be clumsy. May cause them to think again before walking out the door.
It's like why bother having security cameras and alarms in your home when the burglar can wear a mask.
Because its mostly a deterrent
The same way big w/kmart has a greater that does bag checks and costco checks off your receipt
I bet they do catch a small percentage of shoplifters as well